Knowledge@ASB: China and the Secret Code: Foreign Companies Face New Software Insecurity Rules

China has introduced regulations requiring foreign technology companies to disclose trade secrets if they want to sell digital products to its government agencies. IT industry players suggest they may abandon the huge Chinese market rather than comply. And that's a big call. A solution is for companies to produce a separate range of products for the Chinese market, according to Greg Stephens, a lecturer in information technology at the Australian School of Business. But the new rules have given rise to a vital question: Does this latest protectionist approach signal the future way for China to do business with foreign companies?